Srinagar, July 18: The Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam, said on Tuesday that no moon had been spotted for Muharram-ul-Haram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and that Thursday would mark the start of the new Islamic year, 1445 AH.
The Grand Mufti said that no witnesses could be located for the sighting of the moon from any location in the Kashmir or Jammu divisions while speaking to the news organization Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
The Ashura will now be held on July 29, and the Islamic New Year will begin on Thursday, July 20.
The Grand Mufti addressed Muslims in J&K and encouraged them to mark the upcoming Ashura with piety and to pray for the general well-being of the Ummah, particularly for the young.
He advised against engaging in immodest behaviour throughout the month of Muharram. The essential lesson of Ashura is that we should not submit to deception but rather hold faithful to what our religion tells us. The Grand Mufti said that Muhrram instructs us to stick to the Islamic path and follow in the footsteps of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), who was slain with 70 members of his family in the battle of Karbala over 1400 years ago. (KNO)
